Sorry. I assumed that someone referring to "Xbox kiddies" would know that the
average age of console owners is 25, and that the Xbox demographic is famously the oldest of the three. I assumed that someone holding forth on the popular perception of Oblivion would know that it was consistently voted into the
top ten games of
2006 -- all the greater accomplishment for a game released in March. I also assumed that anyone suggesting that an entire category of consumers believes something would know that it's a ridiculous statement, and that we invented social statistics to get away from this sort of generalisation. So it never occurred to me that you might be serious.
How did you arrive at your opinion of Bethsoft's opinion of "Xbox kiddies'" opinions? Voodoo?
I know this, and I have in varius other threads, both here and on the codex as well as on the TES forums mentioned this; that the average gamer is between 25-35 now, and that it also covers Xbox games. I also know that Oblivoion did get many awards, even if I do agree with this. [I don't think Oblivion is the game of the year, nor that it the rpg of the year - as I've stated before, to me, Oblivion is a kind of exploring/adventure/sandbox game in which there are some rpg element, stat, abilities and the like, but that's another discussion for an another thread because it goes to the heart of what an rpg really is].
However, when you look at the TES forums, you will discover that 2/3 of its members are between 13-19. This gives me the feeling that many of these
fans has been drawn into the TES community because of Oblivion.
And I just pointed out that some of the xbox kiddies on the TES forums also did feel or think that Oblivion was dumbed down.
I have also pointed out in varius threads in several forums that I personally don't think the Xbox kiddies wants action games, nor that they want to be handhold
throughout the game. But (maybe) that's what the developers of games for the Xbox (or consoles) think. And so they make these game for Xbox only.
If we look at it, more pure actions like Gears of Wars, Lost Planet and Prey are released for the Xbox ONLY. And as developers seem to imitate each other in the hope to earn a quick buck or two (or perhaps more) games like Oblivion get more and action elements stuck in them - in the hope that console crowd will buy them.
(Personally, I don't think this is so --- but I think that is how developers, not to mention how publishers are thinking).
I can make, of course, make qualified guesses about how Bethsoft's image or view of the Xbox market is. But I think I have a good grasp of the business side of the rpg market and it also helps that I have my degree in Social Studies to lean on when I try to figure out what is going to happen. (or what is happening to TES games).
Personally, I think Bethsoft decided (at some point) to appeal more to the action crowd (people who maninly play action FPS games on consoles) and to abandon a lot of their old fanbase (-cough- morrowind-cough) in the hope that with Oblivion the fanbase they then would drew into into the TES forums would be greater than the losses they would take when the (sort of) abanoned the Morrowind fanbase. But I have no proof of this, it is just something I personally think, and I base this on the economic studies I had to take to get my my degree in Social Studies. If this is so, I can certainly understand how & why Bethsoft
(or Zenimax Media) did make this decision, but that's not to say that I personally am very happy with this decision.
Even Pete Hines said in the fan interview that most players who played Oblivvion did so on the Xbox, and since most members of the TES forums are 13-19 years old...
I would like to stress again that I don't think that either these kids nor their parents only like to play action games and that just because there is more action games out for the consoles, doesn't mean that the xbox crowd doesn't want more quality games like say Mass Effect.